End plate for lighting fixtures



W. L. LIPSCOMB END PLATE FOR LIGHTING FIXTURES Jan. 17, 1967 ZSheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 28, 1964 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,299,264 END PLATE FOR LIGHTING FIXTURES Willis L. Lipscomb, 333 Spreckels Bldg., San Diego, Calif. 92101 Filed Aug. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 392,824 3 Claims. (Cl. 24051.11)

The present invention relates gene-rally to lighting fixtures and more particularly to end plates for use with such fixtures adapted for mounting tubular fluorescent discharge lamps.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved end plate for lighting fixtures.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved end plate which is constructed to form a housing for the reception of electrical wiring used with the fixture.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved end plate for lighting fixtures which may be formed from two pairs of similar units, which fittogether with positive alignment, thus reducing the cost of fabrication.

It is a further and ancillary object of this invention to provide an improved end plate which is invertible so that the whole fixture may be inverted giving the user alternative mounting procedures and alternative directivity of illumination.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved end plate which normally supports a single tubular fiuorescent discharge lamp butwhich may be readily expanded for use with a plurality of such lamps.

Finally, it is an object to provide an end plate of the aforementioned character which is simple and convenient to use and which will given generally efficient and durable service.

With these and other objects defiinitely in view, this invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements and portions as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawings which form a material part of this disclosure, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of the improved end plate for use with a single lamp;

FIGURE 2. is a top plan View of unit A;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of unit A;

FIGURE 4 is an end view of the assembled end plate in supported position;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional View on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing a modification in which an insert is positioned to support two lamps;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view of a series of fixtures supported by assembled end plates and hangers;

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the end plate in an inverted position; and

FIGURE 10 is an end view of a further modification in which three lamps are supported, typical louvre structure also bein illustrated.

With particular reference to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to the same or similar parts, FIGURE 1 shows the four basic parts of the end plate before assembly, that is, the unexpanded end plate assembly for use with a single lamp fixture. For ease of description these parts are referred to as units A and B and are so designated on the drawing. Units A, the male members of the assembly, are identical and units B, the female members of the assembly, are also identical. It will therefore be apparent that the improved end plate,

although assembled from four separate elements, requires but two dies for fabrication. Costs of producing the end plate are thereby materially reduced. For purposes of describing and claiming this invention, a unit A connected to a unit B together may be thought of as constituting a hollow enclosure member with an open end portion, there being two such complementary, lallochiral, hollow enclosure members in each assembled end plate.

Unit A as particularly shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 consists of a slightly elongated member having a unitary vertical wall 10, a flange-like top wall 12, a bottom wall 14 and an end flange 16. A portion of the end flange, as .at 18, may extend at an angle to the main section 16, if desired. The vertical wall 10 is provided substantially centrally thereof with an aligning post or boss 20. A bore 22 extends axially through the boss 20 and through the wall 10. Recesses 24 and 26 are provided in the top and bottom walls 12 and 14, respectively. The edge of the top wall 12 at the recess 24 is provided with a groove 28 for a purpose which will be subsequently described, and a flange 30 extends from the wall 10 parallel to the bottom wall 14 to provide a groove 32. Ears 34 extend laterally from wall 10 at the end remote from end flange 16 and are adapted to hold any suitable fastening means such as bolts 36 for securing units A and B together, and this end is also provided with a substantially semi-circular recess 38. An aligning lug 40 extends laterally from the edge 42 of the top wall 12.

Unit B is substantially allochirally related to unit A and similar reference numerals are used for the same parts on the two units. Whereas the edge 42 of the top wall 12 on unit A is provided with a lug 40, the corresponding edge of unit B is provided with a recess 44 into which the lug 40 fits.

FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 illustrate the manner of suspending the assembled end plates, indicated at P, and lighting fixtures from a ceiling or other supporting structure. Adjacent .pairs of units A and B are secured together by first applying the fastening means 36 through the holes in ears 34 and securing the ears together in the usual manner. The adjacent semi-circular recesses 38 now form a circular opening in each of these members and a lamp socket 46, indicated by broken lines in FIGURE 5, is inserted and secured in each of these openings. A hanger 48, through which the usual clectrical wiring may be fed to the end plate, is provided at its lower end with transversely oppositely extending supporting lugs 50, 50 which have arcuate upper bearing surfaces 52 as shown in FIGURE 5. An inflexible supporting plate 54 having an opening 56 therein fits loosely over the hanger 48 and is itself supported by said hearing surfaces 52. The edges of this plate fit in the grooves 28 in the corresponding top walls 12. The. assembled units A and B are secured together to form the completed end plate by means of through bolts 58 extending through the bores 22. It will be evident that the interengagement of lugs 40 and recesses 44 provide for accurate alignment of the assembled parts. An access or bottom cover plate 60 is positioned on the bottom wall 14 and inserted at each end in the grooves 32, to close the recess 26 as clearly shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. The bottom plate is preferably shaped, as indicated in FIG- URES 5 and 6, to present a lower face flush with the lower face of bottom wall 14.

Expansion of the end plate to accommodate more than one lamp is readily accomplihed by the use of spacer plates positioned between corresponding units A and B. In FIGURE 7 I have shown a spacer plate 62 for use with an end plate of a two lamp fixture while FIGURE 10 shows a spacer plate 64 in a three lamp fixture.

Any type of louvre structure, either egg-crate or slats may be used and translucent or reflective materials or a combination of both, depending upon the intensity and degree of light required. A typical installation is shown in FIGURES 8 and 10. As indicated in FIGURE 8, the assembly herein designated as an end plate may be interspersed at the ends of each set of lamps in an elongated lighting fixture such as shown. A plurality of hangers 48 support end plates between which are mounted slot type fixtures, the individual louvre arrangement being indicated by reference numeral 66 in FIG- URE 10. The bottom of the fixture may be closed by a flat plate 68 of either translucent or reflective material. The end plate assemblies may be readily inverted, top for bottom, as shown in FIGURE 9 by interchanging the plate 60 for the plate 54 thus providing for inversion of the complete fixture.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawings are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

1. An end plate assembly for lighting fixtures, comprising:

complementary, allochiral, hollow enclosure members each comprising two mating shell units having open end portions, vertical end walls and top and bottom walls;

means to secure said open end portions together to constitute a single hollow housing;

said housing having means to support lamp sockets in said vertical end walls;

and hanger means including a supporting plate;

said top walls being recessed and having means marginally receiving and holding said supporting plate.

2. An end plate assembly according to claim 1 and including a bottom access plate of the same marginal shape and size as said supporting plate, said bottom walls being recessed and having means marginally receiving and holding said bottom access plate, whereby the entire end plate assembly, excepting said supporting and bottom access plates, is invertible.

3. An end plate assembly for lighting fixtures comprising: complementary, allochiral, hollow enclosure members, each comprising two mating shell units having open end portions, the diagonally opposite shell units being identical; means to secure said open end portions together to constitute a single hollow housing; and

said housing having means to support lamp sockets com-prising mating complementary recessed portions in said end portions and clamped around the lamp sockets when said enclosure members are secured together by said means to secure.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1951 Yeager 24011.4 X 5/1965 Gaines 24-O9 

3. AN END PLATE ASSEMBLY FOR LIGHTING FIXTURES COMPRISING: COMPLEMENTARY, ALLOCHIRAL, HOLLOW ENCLOSURE MEMBERS, EACH COMPRISING TWO MATING SHELL UNITS HAVING OPEN END PORTIONS, THE DIAGONALLY OPPOSITE SHELL UNITS BEING IDENTICAL; MEANS TO SECURE SAID OPEN END PORTIONS TOGETHER TO CONSTITUTE A SINGLE HOLLOW HOUSING; AND SAID HOUSING HAVING MEANS TO SUPPORT LAMP SOCKETS COMPRISING MATING COMPLEMENTARY RECESSED PORTIONS IN SAID END PORTIONS AND CLAMPED AROUND THE LAMP SOCKETS WHEN SAID ENCLOSURE MEMBERS ARE SECURED TOGETHER BY SAID MEANS TO SECURE. 